Bittersweet
by Yami Rasui
Summary: Toshirou is in denial about Ichigo being back, but can a gift change his mind. Part 5 of my Within Temptation series.


_**Bittersweet**_

**By: Yami Rasui**

_**Author's note: May not be up to my usual parr but it's been a while since I've looked at this series. RL came and bit me in the butt again, what with worrying about getting fired from my job and getting into fights with people it's been a long few weeks. Enjoy and let me know what you think, I do so enjoy hearing what people think.**_

**Thanks to all those who have reviewed the last stories and added me to their author's and favs lists, I'm glad to know that people enjoy my stories.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! Neither Bleach or the song Bittersweet by Within Temptation.**

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_**If I tell you**_

_**Will you listen?**_

_**Will you stay?**_

_**Will you be here forever?**_

_**Never go away?**_

It had been three months since the imposter posing as Ichigo had come along and thrown everything into chaos for Toshirou. Despite the feeling of Ichigo's spiritual pressure just months before he still believed that the man walking around wasn't Ichigo. It made it easier for him to accept what he had done and so he continued to believe that Ichigo wasn't actually back and that fate had decided to torment him. It hadn't been easy for him to see the lookalike walking around, it had dragged up a lot of painful memories for him. Things that he hadn't wanted to think about for almost sixteen years.

_**Never thought things would change**_

_**Hold me tight**_

_**Please don't say again**_

_**That you have to go**_

It didn't help that some of his favorite things started making daily appearances on his desk, like Ichigo had done when he was alive. One day it was a fresh cup of his favorite tea, another day his favorite type of sweets from the mortal realm. That particular gift was still around, having only indulged himself in half of the bag and slipping the rest into his desk. As he headed into his office for the day he wondered what would be waiting for him. Walking into his office he studied the desk, looking for anything out of place and found what he was looking for. Another bag of his favorite candy was there but there was another item there as well. Walking around and taking his seat he studied the wooden carving. Hyorinmaru was wrapped around a perfect replica of Zangetsu. Ichigo had once said that they're Zanpakutou fought well together, Zangetsu quick enough to follow the blasts of ice from Hyorinmaru.

_**A bitter thought**_

_**I had it all**_

_**But I just let it go**_

_**Hold your silence**_

_**It's so violent**_

_**Since your gone**_

It was getting harder and harder to deny that the man running around in Ichigo's form wasn't actually Ichigo. There was that distinct spiritual pressure for one. It constantly flared up from the location of the Squad 11 barracks at odd intervals, almost as if the for those brief moments the soul it surrounded was being antaganozed and getting ready to retaliate before being calmed. Every time it flared Toshirou wanted to run to the barracks and confirm who that spiritual pressure was coming from.

_**All my thoughts are with you forever**_

_**Until the day we'll be back together**_

_**I will be waiting for you**_

Then there was Kenpachi's antics. It was now not an uncommon sight to see the Demon Captain of Squad 11 running around looking for something with Yachiru hanging from his shoulder and giving random directions. It had been the same as when Ichigo was alive. Despite the Strawberry being the man's fourth seat the Captain was constantly wanting to have a rematch for a fight that had happened hundreds of years ago. Occasionally you would see a flash of orange and black as someone sprinted away from the blood thirsty Captain.

_**If I had told you**_

_**You would have listened**_

_**You had stayed**_

_**You would be here forever**_

_**Never went away**_

_**It would never have been the same**_

_**All our time**_

_**Would have been in vain**_

_**Cause you had to go**_

However what always gave him pause was the meeting, the moment when he saw the man and denied that it was Ichigo. There was no way that it could be Ichigo, there was no logical explanation for it. But he'd checked into it. Yuki had died rather suddenly but it wasn't entirely unexpected. He'd been battling an illness from a young age and his body had finally given up. Toshirou had confirmed everything, giving credit to the story that the orange haired man running around was in fact his long lost lover. He just didn't want to believe it because he had been so cruel. In fact Rangiku was still barely speaking to him, despite the fact that he'd been ignoring her skiving off from work and making sure that her sake stash in her desk was stocked. And as of yet he'd not come face to face with the Ichigo imposter again.

_**The sweetest thought**_

_**I had it all**_

_**Cause I did let you go**_

_**All our moments**_

_**Keep me warm**_

_**When you're gone**_

Looking back at the carving though, he couldn't deny it anymore. Ichigo was back and he was going to have to find a way to get back in his good graces. He smiled as he moved the carving to the corner of his desk and situated it just right. He would work on it and strive to make things right between him and Ichigo. It would take time but his thoughts were on getting him back and keeping him by his side where he belonged, or sticking to his lover's side like a limpett and never leaving. Until then he would cherish the gifts that came his way and remember the good moments between him and Ichigo.

_**All my thoughts are with you forever**_

_**Until the day we'll be back together**_

_**I will be waiting for you**_

And despite his planning he never noticed the orange haired man standing outside his window and studying him. It wouldn't be long until they were back together but neither one would expect what was to come while they waited for each other.

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**AN: Please read and review. Much love to all my readers!**


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